Seeing Ourselves in Chaucer’s Mirror

Can we really relate to people from 700 years ago? Thanks to Peter Ackroyd, it’s easier than ever. In our iPod, iPad, texting and tweeting world, you’d think there is not too much in common with the lives of 14th century pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, but, in fact, there is.

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales has been held up for centuries as the mirror of medieval society. Ackroyd highlights the tales in this 2009 version as the mirror of universal human society, and thus, us, in his daring and exciting free translation of this classic.

He notes that Chaucer himself, when he translated The Roman de la Rose, took great liberties to translate the feel and concept of that work rather than the exact language. Ackroyd takes enormous liberties as well to convey the thoughts and the sense of the story rather than the poetic mannerisms so beloved by Middle English majors. As a result, the work is more alive, in this prose edition, than it has been in ages. By the way, Ackroyd uses pungently foul language with the earthier characters, be warned. Previous major prose editions of Chaucer, such as Nevill Coghill’s 1952 version, were very careful to stick to the script and not offend the traditional norm or literary decorum.

Ackroyd, a celebrated author of British history, plunges ahead with a sense of joy and liveliness that captures the context of the times and the essence of Chaucer’s profound and sometimes hilarious observances. Purists might not feel a sense of welefulnesse, but the rest of us can enjoy his insights into the underlying characters and meanings from the Tales.

The great poet was in life, a courtier, a diplomat, a merchant and a traveler. Although he never finished his masterpiece, which was influenced by Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, Chaucer evokes the many layers of personalities making up society, from the elite to the humble. Ackroyd’s triumph is that he is able to express Chaucerian personalities and points of view in language that speaks to us in such a way that we can recognize the braggart, the upstart, the pompous, the quietly hard working, the libertine and the pious among us. This work is highly recommended, and the year 1380 will seem closer to 2010 than you can imagine.